Open Letter to Ichiro

Dear Ichiro,

You don’t know me, but I certainly have heard of you.  I saw you play baseball for 11 and ½ seasons.  You played during the good times (2001) and the bad (2008, 2010), but you stayed here regardless.  You showed loyalty, passion for the game, and a sincere love for the game and the city of Seattle.  I have to apologize for the actions of all those responsible for you not getting a World Series: Bill Bavasi, Chuck Armstrong, and Howard Lincoln.  Those three made it hard for you to stay in Seattle, yet you did as long as you could.  And I appreciate you leaving before it got ugly.

I don’t think you’ll ever read this, but I wish you the best in New York.  I have to tell you, those Yankee fans are BRUTAL.  They will make SURE you know you are in a slump, whenever that is.  They don’t tolerate losing as much as we do in Seattle, which is a big reason the Yankees have 27 World Series Championships and the Mariners have none.  It’s a much tougher environment to play in, an environment which many do not succeed in, because of all the pressure.

I have to also apologize for being so hard on you these past 11 years.  I have called you weak, too cautious, selfish, and ignorant.  You are none of those things.  I was hard on you, because your style of play differs greatly from what I’m used to; which is no surprise, as you learned all your baseball techniques in Japan.  I think your style of play let you play a long and successful career, but I’m not sure how much it helped out the team.  After all, we only made the playoffs once in your Mariner tenure, in your rookie season.

I again have to apologize for the lack of success you experienced in Seattle.  This was not your fault.  You succeeded when others failed.  You must have played with hundreds and hundreds of different players throughout the years, none of them (except for perhaps Felix) having anywhere near the success you had.  It’s a real shame your talents were wasted all those years.

I don’t blame you for asking for a trade.  In fact, I’d have been a bit disappointed if you didn’t.  You allowed us to get a couple of minor league pitchers and free up a roster spot for someone else.  Now we’ll get to see an extra young outfielder every night and see who can emerge as a legitimate starter.  Good luck in New York, Ichiro, and don’t let the Yankee fans be too hard on you.   

Sincerely,
Brian Holland
Mariner Fan for Life

What Long Distance is Like and How to Survive It

I feel like this blog post is overdue.  I have been in a long-distance relationship for over 2 and ½ years.  By now, I have become an expert on LDR’s and I could give advice to anyone who is in one or might be entering one.  In fact, I have been.  I uploaded the video of Amanda and I meeting to my YouTube account (http://youtu.be/xTnpFpZCiuA), and it already has over 150,000 views.  Not only that, but I often get people commenting on that video asking for advice, so I give it to them.  But now it is time I just put it out here, for anyone to refer to in the future.  How to deal with a Long Distance Relationship (LDR).

Of course, there are two types of LDR’s.  There’s the type where you meet online, and the type where you meet in person.  I met my girlfriend online, so I’ll be mainly going over that.  However, every time she leaves feels like I had met her and person and she’s moving away, so I can relate to people in that situation.  The two types of LDR’s are equally challenging and require many things.  They are:

- Time
- Money
- Patience
- Love for one another
- Belief

You have to put in a lot of time in LDR’s usually.  When you’re away, your relationship consists of phone calls, webcam chats, letters, and texting.  They become the person you communicate with the most, even if they are far away (Ain’t technology great?) You gotta put forth the time to keep in touch and show your love for one another. 

LDR’s are expensive, which is why I put money on the list.  Depending on far apart you are, you have to spend quite a bit to see each other, the money mainly going to airfare (or gas if you drive).  Obviously, the further apart you are, the more you’ll spend.  I’m lucky my girlfriend is only a short 2 hour plane ride away, otherwise it would be much harder.  And there’s the missing work factor: You might lose money by having to miss work for a week to see one another. 

Patience is key.  It’s similar to time, but it is more the willingness to wait for one another.  Can you wait that long for your loved one to move to you?  Or can you wait that long to move to them?  Also, being patient for each visit is crucial, because some visits can seem to be years away. 

Love for one another is of course another essential.  If you don’t love each other, it won’t work.  Love is what powers your ability to wait, it makes you want to spend money on them, and it makes you want to talk to them on webcam or on the phone.  You have to love them and appreciate the little time you have together in person.

Finally, you have to believe.  You have to believe your relationship will work out and that you will one day live near them and have a much better relationship.  You have to have faith and trust your loved one that they will be faithful to you and will do their part to bring themselves closer to you.

LDR’s are not easy.  But I can say if your relationship can survive being long-distance, it can survive anything.  The thing I hate most is when I go home or when my girlfriend goes home, it feels like we’re breaking up each time.  I know we’re not at the time, but it feels that way. 

If you have all five of the things I listed with your boy- or girlfriend, and you really want to be with them, then the LDR will work.  There’s a saying (Popularized by the TV show How I Met Your Mother) that Long Distance Relationships never work.  That’s not true.  They just take a lot of effort, and a lot of couples don’t have that.  If you are missing one of those five things I listed, it will be very tough to maintain an LDR and you might have to think about a split.  But, if you have all five of those things, you have something special, and you should do whatever you can to make your relationship work so you can spend the rest of your life with that special someone.  

Current Seattle Mariner Issues

With the 2012 season almost halfway old, I will take a stand on many issues and questions regarding the Seattle Mariners.  Some I will answer briefly, while some I might give elaborate essay-type answers.  Here are the questions that need answering:

Should the fences be moved in?
No.  You don’t change your park to accommodate your players.  You build your roster to accommodate your stadium.  Otherwise we’d be bringing in and moving out the fences constantly.  The Mariners just need to get some flyball pitchers and speedy outfielders (to cover the vast outfield), and some pop at the corner infield and DH spots to make up for the speedy outfielders’ lack of power.

What should the Mariners do with Ichiro?
Whatever they can.  And what I mean by that is they must do as much as they can to demote him as possible.  A lot of great players have gotten released towards the end of their careers.  But that might be too much.  Instead, the Mariners should bench him at least once a week and possibly move him down in the order, depending on how he’s hitting.

Should the Mariners trade Felix Hernandez?
Haha…

















Should Eric Wedge be fired?
Again, no.  I believe if guys are not producing, Eric will hold them accountable.  He has already benched Figgins.  Besides, firing Wedge would start the cycle all over again.  I’m sorry, but you need to give your managers more than two years.  If the Mariners seem to be lost next year, then Eric might be on the hot seat.

So, the Mariners are going to be sellers at the deadline… who should be traded?
The problem is, the only players on the Mariners that would fetch other players of real value are players the Mariners don’t want to trade—ever.  Players like Felix, Ichiro, Seager, Montero, and even Ackley.  However, here’s a small list of some, who I think the Mariners could live without: Vargas, Millwood, League, Figgins, Carp, and Olivo.  But good luck getting much for those guys.  If you can’t get a good deal, sometimes it’s best just to stay pat.

What can the Mariners do to hit better at home?
Currently, the Mariners are flirting near the Mendoza line—as a team—at home.  On the road however, they are hitting quite well.  If you were to just double their road production, the Mariners would be one of the best hitting teams in baseball.  Law of averages says that they’ll sort of even out, but at halfway through the season the team averages for road and home games are still 50 points apart.  There really isn’t much anyone can do.  I know players feed off the fans, so we need to support them and cheer loudly when they get hits.  Perhaps they aren’t getting enough home support. 

Which Mariner will be the All-Star selection?
Toughest question.  I am dead serious.  No one is having an outstanding year on the Mariners, although some are playing decently, such as Seager, Saunders, Vargas, and Millwood.  Ichiro missed last year’s game and will more than likely miss this year’s as well.  Felix has been inconsistent, but has been dominant at times.  No one knows Seager, who has not been dominant, so he won’t make it.  The Mariners’ best bets are either Felix, Wilhelmsen (who has done well as closer) or Vargas.

My thoughts on different departments at Safeway

I have done a lot of things over the seven years I've been with Safeway.  In chronological order, I have done courtesy, helper clerk (backwall and dairy), sales events, checking, self-checkout, floral, and the just4U promotion.  I am just here to say what I think about them, in case anyone I know wants to work for Safeway, or already does and is by chance thinking about doing one of these positions.

Courtesy Clerk - Basically the bottom of the food chain at Safeway, but the store wouldn't function without them.  It's a good spot to start out, because if you become manager after being a CC, it sounds pretty impressive, and a lot of managers did use to be courtesy clerks.  Thankfully, I was a CC for less than a year before being checker trained.

Helper Clerk - I was only a helper clerk for a week, but I did enjoy it.  The reason I stopped it was because the hours were bad (5 hour shifts only 3-4 times a week) and asking for time off would be really hard to do.  But I got to do dairy (eggs and milk), stock Safeway brand soda.  Special thanks to Mat for teaching me everything about this position, from how to use the power jack to how to quickly load eggs and milk.

Sales Events - Now this is something Safeway (at least at our store) doesn't do anymore, which does bum me out.  We used to set up these tables with samples of food on them.  If I rack my brain... I did Ghoulish Grapes (black grapes for Halloween), sweet mandarin oranges, and honeycrisp apples for the produce department.  I did soup and turkey for the deli department (And I helped Michael with ribs one time).  It was mostly pretty boring, having to stand there all day with little or no breaks waiting for people to stuff their faces in the same food item over and over again.

Checking - I have voiced my thoughts on checking before here:  http://briguy17-briguy17.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-thoughts-on-checkingcashiering-at.html  So you know how I feel about it. I will say this, however.  When I'm away for the checkstand for too long (such as doing self-checkout or something else for a week or two), I actually do start to miss it, which is weird.  Never thought I'd miss checking.

Self-Checkout - Our store didn't get self-checkout until October 2010, I believe.  I was not one of the people selected to be trained on it at first.  However, a month or two after it started, I approached Marjorie during a shift that was pretty slow and asked her to show me how to do it.  She showed me the basics, and I pretty much learned on the job from there.  Now I'm one of the best at it, extinguishing fires left and right.

Floral - I first did floral Valentine's Day 2012.  Why I was selected, I really have no clue.  But it really isn't that bad.  Marina, the floral manager (RIP Marina), can be a bit intense, but if you do your job and work hard she won't be mad.  It does feel weird, being a straight male, to work floral, but hey, wherever I can get hours.  Not my favorite department of the store, but I will say that time did go by pretty fast while working there.  Occasionally if after floral closes (and produce is unable to cover) a customer needs help, I have helped out with wrapping flowers and/or balloons.

just4u - I just completed a week's worth of doing this promotion, and I both like it and hate it.  I like it because I get to use technology at work, mainly the iPad and the laptops.  I like it because I'm never swamped with work and it's pretty fun getting people signed up.  I hate it however, because it is mostly slow and boring and all the rejection from people who apparently weren't interested in saving money.  I was expected to approach people and ask them about it, and if you know me, you know approaching people is not something I'm good at.

Dairy - I just recently did dairy a few times, filling in after one of our employees went to another store.  I actually really like it.  You get to be in your own little world, stocking things like sour cream, yogurt, and cheese.  There are a few things I hate about it though: The 4am start time (non-negotiable), and having to rotate so products stay fresh.  It's annoying to do, but it cuts down on shrink.  I don't want to do this full-time, but I don't mind filling in every now and then.  Getting off at noon or sooner is very awesome, but going to bed before 8 is not.

Customer Service - I've now done customer service for about a year so I have a fairly firm grasp on it.  It's usually pretty fun and better than checking.  Sometimes, however, it can get extremely stressful.  I haven't really had anyone yell at me per se, but I've had quite a few unhappy customers.  Western Union is either nice to do (since it takes up time, helps time go by fast) or stressful, especially if a customer has no idea what they're doing, your line is building as you're helping the customer, or there's some issue with the transfer.  Lotto is really fun and it's kinda funny to watch people blow their money away day after day.  I used to rent out movies which were fun to talk about, but we stopped doing that.  I'd say my least favorite thing to do is answer phone calls, because 1) I'm not 100% comfortable talking on the phone and 2) Often times I get calls that are stressful or I have little idea what to do or say.  I'd say my favorite part is the closing duties, counting tills and doing the checkstand and self-check changers, which is why I may soon get trained for office.  When I've done that for a while it'll be below this.

Front End Manager - With learning customer service I had knowledge of each checkout location on the front end, so I became a natural fit as a fill-in front end manager.  I'm technically not allowed to do it officially since my girlfriend is a checker, but we manage to make it work.  As for the FEM job itself, it has its ups and downs.  The positives: Work goes by extremely fast, always getting an hour lunch, always getting off at a decent time, hardly ever having to do the same thing (check, self check) for too long.  The negatives: Being stressful at times, having to deal with people calling out sick (or just not showing up), having to occasionally skip a 10 minute break.  But all in all it's not terrible.

Office *NEW* - It was only a matter of time until I got trained for bookkeeping/office.  Basically I am in charge of the store's finances, I account for all the money in the store and basically hope we're not off too much.  I've done office on my own maybe... 7 times?  Despite that, it's still tough for me and I still need to follow my to-do list.  However, I get off early each time I work this shift.  The early hours do kinda suck, but it could be worse.  I'm hoping I can get better at it because I do really like it.  Accounting seems to be something I am pretty good at.

PIC *NEW* - PIC (Person in Charge) is something I actually now have done a couple weeks of when one of our PIC's went on vacation and our store couldn't find a replacement.  So they asked me.  I agreed, so long as it was temporary.  I gotta say, not as bad as I thought.  Although my managers didn't want to load too much on my plate being a fill-in PIC, so I just did what I could.  For the most part, it was mainly checking when called and putting the load away (which can be stressful if something else time-sensitive has to be done at the same time like covering a break).  But most of the time I got a bunch of free time to kill in the manager's office and had plenty of time to face.  If that were to be the case all the time, I would definitely consider applying for PIC.  But I've seen what full-time PIC's have to deal with, and it's not for me.  I tend to get overwhelmed and anxiety fairly easily, so that would not be good for me.  But our store is lucky they have an emergency PIC in myself (which I ended up doing one last time when I was scheduled to close self check).

So, that is pretty much all I've done with Safeway at the point.  I did do one morning in the frozen department as I was scheduled to check really early at the same time as someone else.  I would put that on this list, but it was just one day.  But if I were to name a couple other things I'd like to do, they'd be produce, wine, and more frozen.  If I ever do any of those things (or anything else new), I will put it on this list.

Added:
Dairy
Customer Service
Front End Manager
Office
PIC

My Thoughts on the new Nike Seahawks Uniforms

The new Seahawks uniforms and jerseys have been released and my first thought was surprise; I did not think the changes would be so drastic. I did not like them at first—it looks too cluttered, too out there… too Oregon Duck-ish. However, upon staring at them for a while, I have come to realize they are not that bad. We have yet to see them in game action, so we’ll have to wait for August for that. But the attention to detail, tribute to Native American depictions of feathers, and the new color scheme look pretty good. There is now only one shade of blue “Dark navy”, one “Action green” which is a slight variation on the previous lime green, and “Wolf grey” which is incorporated in every jersey.

My one gripe about this is that now all of my Seahawks jerseys look old and dated, meaning I am going to have to get the new jersey at some point. Great. Looking at the Nike shop, they actually look pretty cool, but again, it is going to take some getting used to. They didn’t use too much green, as it is merely an accent in each uniform design. I love the new alternate grey jerseys, which we definitely have to wear at home.



Now, for the fun of it, I am going to rate each jersey and pant combo, from best to worst, from the one I most want to see to the one I never want to see used in a game… ever.

1. Blue top with gray pants – This is a nice homage to the old Seahawk uniforms from the 70-90s. The pants compliment the jersey well and look better with the blue top than the blue pants do. This should become the most used home uniform.

2. White top with white pants – Definitely should be our most used road jerseys. They also look like they’d be great for those warm climates in Arizona, Tampa Bay, and Dallas.

3. Gray top with blue pants – I like this one. This could be a home alternate at some point, or a road uni in a rainy environment.

4. White top with blue pants – Pretty basic but I don’t see this one catching on too much. It’s pretty boring.

5. Blue top with blue pants – Too much blue, still. This is the one uniform combination that makes the jerseys look most unprofessional. Looks like a mix of Oregon Ducks and an Arena Football League team. But that blue is a great color.

6. White top with gray pants – Way too much like the Dallas Cowboys. Not a horrible look, but we certainly don’t want to copy them.

7. Blue top with white pants – Now it looks like the San Diego Chargers. I can only say “Meh” to this one.

8. Gray top with gray pants – Oh no, a storm’s a comin! That’s pretty much all I can think of when I see those. Gray on gray does not work well. Why do you think the Dallas Cowboys have never done it?

9. Gray top with white pants – Mismatch much? This is the least intimidating uniform combination and it may never be used.

Time will tell if these grow on me or not. If I were to give Nike, the designers, a grade, it would be a C+ right now. But that could change. We’ll just have to see how they look in a game.

American Idol Top 10 and on Song Picks

Here I have my song picks for each theme, starting with the Top 10. If a contestant picks the song I picked for them, I promise to vote for them 17 times. Why 17? If you knew me you wouldn't have to ask. Anything BOLDED is an addition, mentioning if an idol covered the song.

Top 10: Songs of Billy Joel

Jessica - Just the Way You Are
Erika - Piano Man Covered instead by Colton
Colton - We Didn't Start the Fire
Skylar - You May Be Right (Sort of a country twang to it)
Phillip - Only the Good Die Young Covered instead by DeAndre
Elise - Don't Ask Me Why
Heejun - My Life COVERED AND *VOTED 17 TIMES FOR*
Joshua - It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (No idea actually for Josh)
DeAndre - Tell Her About It
Hollie - Uptown Girl

Top 9: Songs of their Idols

For this week, some of the Idols' idols have been revealed, so I have to guess at some and match the others. Bolded artists are ones that have been confirmed to have one of their songs covered. A question mark means I am not too sure that the Idol picked that artist to cover. Also, I changed some song choices, but if any of the contestants pick any of the songs I picked for them I will vote for them 17 times.

Skylar Laine (Miranda Lambert) - Over You (Previous pick: The House that Built Me)
Colton Dixon (Daughtry) - September (Previous pick: No Surprise)

Heejun Han (Lifehouse?) - You and Me (Previous pick: Hanging by a Moment)
Jessica Sanchez (Mariah Carey?) - Hero (Previously assigned to Elise Testone)
Hollie Cavanagh (Led Zeppelin?) - Stairway to Heaven (Previously assigned to Joshua Ledet)
Phillip Phillips (Dave Matthews) - You and Me (Would be cool to have two songs of the same name the same week--could happen seeing as the two guys to do that are best friends)

Joshua Ledet (Beyonce?) - Survivor

Elise Testone (Sheryl Crow) - The First Cut is the Deepest
DeAndre (Smokey Robinson) - Ooh Baby Baby

Top 8: Songs of the 80's
Wow, that was disastrous. I wasn't even close, except for Skylar. Oh well. There is an entire decade for this week's theme, but I'll vote for a contestant if they either sing a song by the same artist or sing a song I really really like.

Hollie - Call me by Blondie (Perfect for her voice!)
Colton - Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield (But don't make it sound like the Glee version)
Skylar - 9 to 5 by either Dolly Parton or Sheena Easton (Different songs, both could suit her... ok maybe not the Sheena Easton one. I just really want someone on AI to sing that.)
DeAndre - Open Arms by Journey (Or anything by Foreigner... but Open Arms would be great for him)
Joshua - Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (Not the best song choice but he's hard to pick songs for)
Phillip - Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PHILLIP! This song is right down your alley)
Elise - Jump by Van Halen (She's found a niche with the rock songs so she should stick to it)
Jessica - Alone by Heart (I really couldn't think of anything else, but I know she'd kill this song)

2012 MLB Predictions

The 2012 Major League Baseball season is almost upon us, so it is time for me to make some predictions. I will predict each team’s record, as well as award winners and who will win each playoff matchup. I’ll give a quick sentence or two on each team, explaining why I think they’ll do well or not. As you will see, I spend more time discussing American League teams than National League teams, but that’s because the Mariners are in the AL and play mainly AL teams. An asterisk denotes one of the two wild card teams.

Now with reviews from after the regular season!

AL EAST1. New York Yankees: 98-64
The Yankees do have aging veterans, but they also added Michael Pineda to their rotation and are still one of the top hitting teams in the league. I see them playing inspired ball for Mariano Rivera this season, given that this is Rivera’s last.
They won the East just like I thought.  They were 3 games worse than I predicted.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: 91-71*
Many believe the Rays have the best rotation in the American League and they might. Their weaknesses are lack of a jumpstarter on offense and experience. They should at least contend all the way to the end of September.
I was just one game off, but they did not make the wild card like I predicted.  Just too much talent in the AL with the resurgences of the O's and A's.

3. Boston Red Sox: 88-74
Following that disastrous final day of the regular season, the Red Sox will come back still competitive but will again fall short. They will probably have this one season with new coach Bobby Valentine as a kind of “getting used to one another” experience but they should be in the race all season.
Well, I kinda knew they wouldn't make the playoffs again, but I didn't know they would finish in LAST with less than 70 wins!  Way off here.

4. Toronto Blue Jays: 79-83
The Jays suffer from the curse of playing in a very tough division. They are a team that is getting better and has some good young hitters. They will need one of the “Big Three” to struggle, either this year or next, for them to have any shot in the next two years.
The Jays struggled more than I thought they would but for a while they were playoff contenders.  Oh well.

5. Baltimore Orioles: 65-97
The O’s have an extremely shaky rotation that every other team in their division will beat up. They have good hitters in Markakis, Jones, and Wieters, but they may decide to rebuild, causing Markakis or Jones to possibly be traded.
Next time I'll REALLY look at a team's rotation before saying that!  I was a whopping 28 games off.  Good for the O-birds.

AL CENTRAL1. Detroit Tigers: 96-66
There is no easier division to pick the division winner in than the AL Central—the Tigers are clearly the best team, lead by last season’s Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, and new signee Prince Fielder. They might be the first team to clinch their division crown this season.
The Tigers won the AL Central, just like I predicted, but they weren't as dominant as I thought.  They weren't the first to clinch their division.  Their defense was suspect as I should have seen.  

2. Kansas City Royals: 78-84
This team will be competitive, and they have good young hitters in Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler. They need to resign Alex Gordon and get a few good arms in the rotation before being a serious contender in the AL.
Another ho-hum season for the Royals.  I was only off by 6 games.  Will they ever get better?  Who knows.

3. Chicago White Sox: 74-88
There are too many question marks on this team. Will Konerko keep up his numbers, despite his age? Will Jake Peavy get back to his old form? Will Adam Dunn bounce back? Will Robin Ventura be a good Major League manager? Nine times out of ten a team with this many questions doesn’t make the playoffs.
The White Sox gave the Tigers a run for their money, but the Tigers have too much more money (to spend on players) than the Sox.  Off by 11 games.

4. Cleveland Indians: 72-90
They were a tale of two teams last year, and they did very little to improve this team. The veteran leaders on this team are constantly injured, leaving the young guys to try to lead, but it is too much pressure. This team is still a few moves and years away from being a consistent contender like they were in the 90’s.
Only off by 4 games, the Indians struggled off and on like I thought they would.  

5. Minnesota Twins: 69-93
This has all the makings of a team headed down the toilet. Mauer and Morneau are neither durable nor playing as well as they have in the past, their rotation is lead by Carl Pavano, a middle of the order guy at best, and they lost two notable contributors this offseason (Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer). My prediction is that Mauer asks for a trade and Morneau retires early.
Only off by 3 games, and the Twins turned out to be even more horrible than I thought they'd be.  Who plays on their team, again?  They are the AL's Houston Astros... well that is until the Astros move to the AL next season.  

AL WEST1. Texas Rangers 93-69
The Rangers are the reigning division champs and they will be again. Yu Darvish will be good, but not great, seeing as he pitches in Texas. But they will hit as well as ever and be in quite a few high scoring games.
I am very proud to say I got their record EXACTLY right!  Too bad they didn't win the west like I predicted.  They had competition, but it was from a team I didn't expect.  

2. Los Angeles Angels: 89-73*
The addition of Pujols to any ballclub adds at least ten wins, so the Angels became instant contenders when he signed with them. I see a bit of an adjustment period, similar to the Red Sox last year after they signed Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, but the Angels should be good enough to nab one of the wild card spots.
Another team I got EXACTLY right with the W-L record!  But... we can't forget the A's, who made the Angels a third place team.  

3. Seattle Mariners: 78-84
Nope, no playoffs this year (again), but I got us at an 11 game improvement from last year, something I think most of us would take. We will have quite a few bright spots this season, but all the pieces aren’t there QUITE yet. It takes a lot longer to rebuild in baseball than most other sports.
I was off by only 3 games, which means an 8 game improvement, which is something.  The Mariners had a bad run through parts of September that prevented them from getting back to .500.  Oh well.  

4. Oakland Athletics: 65-97
Their number 3 hitter is Coco Crisp. They lost Andrew Bailey and Gio Gonzalez in the offseason. They signed a guy well past his prime in Manny Ramirez. Things look bleak for the A’s this year, and not just with their team, but with their stadium situation.
To be 29 games off is kind of embarrassing, but who saw this coming?  No real stars on their team, just a lot of guys who work hard and play hard.  


NL EAST1. Philadelphia Phillies: 95-67
They still have that amazing rotation. Until that rotation gets broken up, they will continue to win.
The Phillies are an aging ballclub and I should've seen that.  They were injury plagued and it dropped them 14 games from what I predicted.  

2. Atlanta Braves: 86-76
They had an up and down season last year, and I think they will have another. A lot rest on Jason Heyward.
The Braves were really good this year--I'll even say the best non-division winner.  I should've picked them to win wild card.  

3. Washington Nationals: 84-78
They will be one of the most improved teams and they will have a lot of bright spots this season, especially if we get to see Bryce Harper.
This Nats team came together a lot faster than I thought it would.  They almost won 100 games!  

4. Miami Marlins: 79-83
They have talent, but I see way too much potential chaos on this team. Too many big egos and Hanley Ramirez still isn’t happy about the switch, although he did accept it.
Boy what I right about them being a let-down; but they were even more of a let-down than I thought!  10 games off.  

5. New York Mets: 72-90
They get Johan Santana back, but too many poor front office decisions lead them to this mess. They need to go in rebuild mode sooner rather than later.
I was only two games off, but they didn't finish in last place.  

NL CENTRAL
1. Cincinnati Reds: 87-75 (Win tiebreaker)
With two of the game’s biggest stars leaving this division, it is now the Reds’ to lose. Joey Votto should emerge as the best first baseman in the division now.
No tiebreakers needed as they won the division by 9 games and I was 10 games off.  

2. St. Louis Cardinals: 87-75*
Sure, they lost Pujols, but they still have a good rotation and good depth. They won’t repeat as champs, but they should still be contenders.
I was only ONE game off for the Cards.  I knew they'd still be pretty good without Albert and I was right.  

3. Milwaukee Brewers: 81-81
Losing Fielder will hurt them, perhaps even more than the Cardinals losing Pujols. They will compete, but miss out on the playoffs.
I was only two games off for the Brewers and they competed just like I said, but too much other talent to deal with in the NL.  

4. Pittsburgh Pirates: 71-91
Another losing season? Yup. They’re headed in the right direction (I believe), but I think next year they’ll end their strike. They *might* come close this year.
And they did come close this year (a two game swing would've put them at .500).  But a 20th straight losing season for the Buccos.  

5. Chicago Cubs: 70-92
Former Mariner prospect Bryan LaHair at first base? Desperate much? I feel so bad for Cubs fans.
Cubs were even worse than I thought--other teams really put the smackdown on them.  Off by 9 games.

6. Houston Astros: 59-103
I will try to name five players on the Astros. Wandy Rodriguez, Carlos Lee… uh… I’m stumped. They move to the AL next year, so perhaps that will be good for them.
I find it really hard to believe the Astros did WORSE than what I predicted them to do.  Not many teams fail to win 60 games.  Off by 4.  

NL West1. San Francisco Giants: 93-69
Getting Buster Posey back, getting Melky Cabrera (A good gap hitter in a good park to hit doubles in), and holding onto Lincecum will keep the Giants not only competitive, but return them to being division champs.
Division champs: Check, Low to mid 90's in wins: Check.  But who could've seen Melky being suspended for 50 games?  I knew he'd be good and I was right... well, until he got suspended.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers: 88-74*
I think the Dodgers emerge this season. I mean, after all, they have two of the NL’s best players in Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp.
Only two games off for the Dodgers, but they did not get a wild card spot like I thought they would.  But they were close.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks: 82-80
I think last year was a bit of a fluke. They will be competitive, but won’t have the magic they did last season.
Pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one.  I was just one game off.

4. San Diego Padres: 75-87
Hard to say if they should go in rebuilding mode. They keep letting go of their best players (Peavy, Gonzalez).
Again, nail, meet hammer.  One game off here.  

5. Colorado Rockies: 73-89
Good hitters? For the most part. Good pitching? Heck no. They almost need to build a roofed stadium to get pitchers to come to Colorado.
Oh, Rockies.  When will you stop being the Rockies and be the ROCKIES?  Off by 9 games.  Yeesh.

Awards:AL
MVP: Robinson Cano, Yankees (Will be either Mike Trout or Miguel Cabrera)
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Mariners (Felix fell out of the race in September, sadly)
Rookie of the Year: Jesus Montero, Mariners (Monterro wasn't horrible but he's nothing compared to Mike Trout)
Coach of the Year: Joe Girardi, Yankees (With the surprising A's and O's either Showalter or Melvin gets this)

NL
MVP: Joey Votto, Reds (No shot for Votto--injury plagued.  Will go to Ryan Braun,  Buster Posey, Yadier Molina or someone else)
Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, Giants (Oops.  Tim's struggles were known to all Giants fans.  This will go to Clayton Kershaw, Craig Kimbrel, or someone else.)
Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper, Nationals (Bryce might actually get this.  His biggest competition is D-Backs pitcher Wade Miley)
Coach of the Year: Don Mattingly, Dodgers (Not too likely as the Dodgers failed to make the playoffs.  This could go to either Davey Johnson of the Nats, Dusty Baker of the Reds, or Fredi Gonzalez of the Braves)

2012 MLB Playoffs

Wild CardsAL
Angels at Rays: Rays

NL
Cardinals at Dodgers: Cardinals

Divisional RoundAL
Rays at Yankees: Yankees in 5
Rangers at Tigers: Tigers in 4

NL
Cardinals at Phillies: Phillies in 3
Reds at Giants: Giants in 4

League Championship SeriesAL
Tigers at Yankees: Yankees in 6

NL
Giants at Phillies: Giants in 7

World SeriesGiants vs. Yankees: Giants in 6



Well, there you have it. My 2^nd favorite team, the Giants, winning the 2012 World Series, making them the 2^nd professional team with the team name of Giants to win a championship this year. My 2012 Mariners preview will come shortly after this, with player and team predictions.